Like everything else in marketing, email tracking tools aren’t one-size-fits-all. The basic features might be the same but differ in functionalities, integrations, and user experience.
If your chosen tool doesn’t help you achieve your specific goals, you’ll end up wasting money. Therefore, it’s extremely important to research well before you invest in an email tracking solution.
On top of that, you need to choose the metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for your specific business.
So, let’s explore email tracking software, its features, the best options, and six metrics you must track.
Creating a small business email marketing strategy is an ongoing task.
You must continuously make improvements to keep up with the changing customer demands and market trends. But how will you make these adjustments if you don’t know what’s wrong with your campaigns?
For that, you need to track your email campaigns and use those findings to make data-driven decisions.
Using email tracking tools is the best way to go about this process. These tools let you monitor what happens after you send an email. They track actions like when recipients open your emails, click on links, view attachments, or forward the message.
With this information, you can understand how people engage with your emails and adjust your strategy accordingly.
You can also see where you can improve your emails, like low open rates or weak engagement. These customer insights help you fine-tune subject lines, adjust content, or even change sending times to improve your campaign’s performance.
An email tracker with advanced features can help you prioritize your leads for maximum benefit. You can see which customers are active and, therefore, easy to convert. Focusing your efforts on these leads will work best for you.
Along with promising leads, you can also identify inactive customers by tracking bounce and unsubscribe rates. Removing these contacts from your email lists can lead to better email deliverability. Besides, wasting your efforts on uninterested leads is never smart.
Lastly, email tracking solutions have A/B testing features that allow you to experiment with email elements. As a result, you’ll always know what works and what doesn’t.
An email tracking tool works in four different ways. First, there’s the tracking pixel method. When you send an email, the tool embeds a tiny image in it. This image loads on the tool’s tracking server, which shows that the recipient has opened your email. On top of that, this process shows you the time, along with the recipient’s IP address.
However, knowing when a recipient opened your email isn’t enough. That’s why an email tracking tool also uses a link tracking method.
When a recipient clicks a link in an email, it first goes through tracking software before reaching the actual website. The tool records this click and then takes the recipient to the intended page.
Here, it tracks which links recipients click and how often they click them. It also gathers information about their location and device.
Another method that these tools use is email client integration. Many of these tools integrate directly with email clients like Gmail and Outlook. As a result, they can track the activities in real time and bring back the information to you.
Lastly, email tracking solutions have reporting and analytics features that provide detailed reports on multiple metrics. You can track open rates, conversion rates, email deliverability rates, etc., to judge your email’s performance.
It’s no secret that creating a beginner email marketing strategy starts with research and planning. But did you know that email tracking requires you to do the same? How you track your emails will depend on your email marketing goals.
For example, if you want more website visitors, you must track specific links, traffic sources, and click-through rates (CTRs). However, increasing engagement will require tracking open rates, conversion rates, and CTRs.
So, your goals are the first thing you need to consider when choosing an email tracking tool. Remember, each software aligns with different needs.
Then, start researching the tools. Shortlist the ones that best align with your goals. Once you do that, you can start looking at their features.
Your chosen tool must work using a combination of the methods we discussed above. Without this, you might not get enough insights. Moreover, you need automated follow-ups to encourage people to engage even if they didn’t open your previous email.
However, it’s smart to have a single tool that works for most of your email needs. This way, you’ll save time and won’t have to juggle between apps. Plus, you’ll be able to personalize your emails! So, choosing an email tracker with merging capabilities with other tools like CRM, word processing, etc., is a good decision.
Another important feature you need to look for is security and privacy. Each country has rules to protect customers from data fraud and related crimes. Your email tracker should comply with these rules to avoid any problems.
In addition to all these features, you’ll have to consider your budget before choosing an option. You can even sign up for trial versions and use the software to see if it matches your preferences
Top 6 Email Metrics to Track and Improve for Better Results
When tracking email metrics, it might make sense to focus on open rates. After all, how will a customer take action if they don’t open your emails? However, this metric might not be the most accurate on its own. Embedded images are the reason.
An email tracker will only count an open if the images load on the recipient’s device. If someone with an image blocker tool on their device opens your email, the tracker won’t count it. Therefore, you must combine open rates with the following metrics for more detailed analytics.
- Email delivery rate: Tracking this metric means knowing whether your emails are landing in your recipient’s inbox or spam folder. Increasing this number requires sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
- Click-through rates (CTRs): CTRs help you track how many people clicked on your links. They can also track image and call-to-action (CTA) links.
- Conversion rates: An email’s main goal is to get people to take action, such as making a purchase. Conversion rates help with this by tracking how many people took the desired action after clicking on an email link.
- Email list growth rate: Email list growth rate tells you how much your list grows over time. After all, you need active, interested contacts to send the emails to.
- Unsubscribe rate: People often unsubscribe from a brand’s emails due to a number of reasons. It’s crucial to remove these contacts from your list. Otherwise, you’ll only be sending emails that won’t bring any results. This metric helps you do this by tracking the contacts that unsubscribed.
Now that you know what email trackers are and how to choose one, you must be curious about your options. You’ll find plenty of tools on the market, all claiming to be the best. However, it’s up to you to research the options and make an informed decision.
So, let’s look at the five best email tracking tools along with their features and benefits. We’ll also discuss what each tool does the best so you can align those features with your goals.
Salesflare lets you do a lot more than just tracking emails. It has an integrated CRM to automate emails, extract signatures, and find business email addresses, along with tracking. You can even compile timelines, follow up on emails, and use built-in templates for an effective strategy.
However, its most standout feature is its email deliverability. This tool will keep your emails out of the spam folder and make sure your recipients get the messages. It works well for both Gmail and Outlook and even has integrated website tracking!
2. HubSpot Includes an Integrated CRM
When it comes to email marketing, there are a few names that remain consistent, no matter what your goal is. HubSpot is one such name. Like Salesflare, it also has integrated CRM email marketing, but on a more advanced level.
It even has a free version that brings you open rates and limited tracking notifications. Upgrading means paying a higher price, but it might be worth the investment if tracking emails isn’t your only goal. It also offers website integration but only to track marketing messages, not individual emails.
3. Use Saleshandy for Automation With Tracking
Automating emails isn’t an easy task, which is why Saleshandy provides email automation and tracking in one solution. It also helps you save time by letting you build entire email sequences along with follow-ups.
However, Saleshandy’s A/Z testing feature is the most unique, where you can test 26 email versions before choosing one. Plus, it has a unified inbox to track all email responses from one place.
Lastly, its sequence score feature is quite helpful. It lets you assess how effective your email sequence is, along with tips to improve it.
People with a tight budget are always on the lookout for free yet effective tools. If you belong to this group, Mailsuite might be the best option for you. However, it only works on Gmail since it’s a Google Chrome extension.
One of the best things about this tool is its ability to track geolocations. You can make your emails more effective when you know where your customers live. Apart from that, it gives you real-time notifications for email opens. You can even get daily detailed reports for better tracking!
5. Right Inbox Is a Highly-Rated Tracker for Gmail
Like Mailsuite, Right Inbox is also a Google Chrome extension for Gmail tracking. If you want to personalize your emails and increase their impact, this is the tool for you. You can even schedule emails to send them at the right time!
When it comes to tracking, it brings you plenty of useful analytics like read receipts, notifications, reminders, and follow-ups. Its private notes feature is something we don’t often see in email trackers. These notes are only visible to you for better tracking.
5 Tips To Get Better Results From Your Emails
By now, you must have a good idea about email tracking. However, all of that comes after you’ve written and sent the email to your recipients. The more you focus on this part of the campaign, the better your numbers will be. So, here are five tips to get better results from your emails.
- Keep it simple: Long emails frustrate people. So, convey your message through simple, concise language.
- Add whitespace: Poor email formatting can be a deal-breaker for some customers. Make their work easier by adding whitespace and formatting your emails for an easy flow.
- Use interactive elements: An email should be visually appealing to bring you the best results. Add images and forms, or consider gamifying your emails.
- Personalize your message: General emails will never cut it. People want messages that resonate with their goals and belief systems. So, add personalization and maximize the impact. Failing to add a human touch would be a grave email marketing mistake.
- Create catchy subject lines: Your customers will decide to open or ignore your email based on its subject line. So, make sure it’s compelling and relevant to grab their attention.
Track Your Emails To Improve Your Strategy
People go for automation and personalization to improve their email marketing strategy. While they’re handy, email tracking tools bring unique benefits to the table.
They help you learn if your efforts for personalization and automation work. As a result, you can come up with better content that resonates with your audience. So, choose an email tracking solution that fits your needs and improve your strategy.
If you want some extra help with email marketing, we’d love to help! At Beambox, we can help you gather contacts, run campaigns and truck your results.
Additionally, you’ll be able to manage your online reputation and grow your social media. Start your trial today!
Frequently Asked Questions About Email Trackers
It takes a lot of time and research to choose the right email tracker for your business. So, let’s add a few more words of clarity to this discussion by answering some frequently asked questions.
An email tracking tool helps you see how people interact with your emails, including opens, link clicks, and attachment views.
Its main goal is to let you better understand customer engagement. As a result, you can adjust your strategy to improve communication and drive better results over time.
The email tracking tools we know include Saleshandy, Salesflare, HubSpot, Right Inbox, Yesware, MySignature, and Mailsuite. However, there are plenty of other options available in the market, each with its own pros and cons.
The trick is to set goals for tracking email performance and then start your research. The best choice for your business is the tool that helps you easily achieve your goal.
Mailsuite is an inexpensive tool for tracking email opens. It’s actually a Google Chrome extension for Gmail. So, you won’t be able to track metrics for Outlook.
However, it has several unique features that make it worth your consideration. The most standout feature is the ability to track geolocations accurately, among other things.
